Broken Wings of Freedom
by PsychoRien
Summary: Freedom. That's all we've ever wanted. They buy us, brand us, and step over us like they're god. And, even when we escape, they still haunt us. It's hard to think that we won't ever be free. (In which Luffy is an escaped slave and the Strawhats are left in the dark.) Freedom Rewrite. AU
1. Chapter 1

_What happened?_ Luffy tried to lift himself up, but failed miserably. His arms wouldn't listen to his brain. He could only lift his head up an inch before they gave out his his head crashed back onto the frigid stone ground. Luffy's head pounded and his ears rang. He shook out his head to get rid of the ringing and he tried opening his eyes. The moment they opened, his left eye stung and he had to close it again to ease the pain. Only his right eye remained open, which he blinked several times before he could remotely figure out what was in front of him. He saw some blurry figures moving around and one of them opened the bars. Who were they? What was going on? He saw the figure bend over and a huge grabbed him by the arm roughly. Luffy tried to scream in pain, but his voice wouldn't work. The figure lifted him up and tossed him out of the cell.

"Get up!" The figure shouted. It was a man. He sounded scary too. Luffy tried to get up, but his arms wouldn't work again and he lied there. The man grunted and picked him up and set him feet first on the ground. Luffy didn't like the cool feeling under his feet. He usually wore sandals. The man let go and Luffy stood on his own, legs trembling like leaves in a breeze. "Move it! We don't have all day!"

"But, I don't wanna." Luffy managed to argue with the little defiance he had left. The hand pushed him forward, making Luffy stumble, but he regained his balance in time.

"Move!" The man shouted, terrifying Luffy. Luffy bit the bottom of his lip and sniffled before he started taking slow steps forward. The man growled in frustration and picked him up by an arm, carrying him to the end of the hallway before setting him down and grabbing some shackles that were hanging from the wall. He grabbed Luffy's arm and clamped a cuff around Luffy's wrist, then the other. Instantly, a pang of tiredness and fear washed over Luffy's body. What was happening to him? The man clamped the cuffs around his ankles too. The cuffs were on too tight and rubbed against his bones.

"These are too tight!" Luffy whimpered, trying to adjust the cuffs by rubbing them against the stone ground.

The man snorted, "Deal with it, you spoiled brat." He wrapped a heavy stone-like collar around Luffy's neck and locked it with a key. He tossed the keys so they landed on the hook in the wall, making a jingle sound. "Give them a show, you little shit. Don't disappoint me." Luffy had no idea what he meant by that. He was led onto a stage with blinding light and the man shoved him onto the ground, leaving. Luffy wanted to scream for him not to leave, but his throat was still raw and hurting. He didn't know what to do. His eyes finally adjusted to the light and he was greeted by his worst nightmare. Cheering broke out from the crowd in front of him. The announcer gestured towards him with his left arm, the other hold a microphone. Luffy's eyes widened in what could only be describe as one word. Fear.

"Entry number 36 is the youngest of them all! Luffy!" The announcer spoke, his voice full of confidence. "But, don't let his age fool you! Younger bodies can do many things older entries cannot do! Not only that, but he appears to have the ability to stretch like rubber, due to the devil fruit power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi!" The announcer walked up to Luffy's trembling form. There were tears in the corners of Luffy's eyes. He wanted to shouted at the man to not get closer. He wanted to run, move, do something! But fear took complete control over his body and he couldn't do a thing. The announcer grabbed him by the cheek, pulling on it. His cheek stretched to an unbelievable length and the crowd gasped in surprise. "With his rubber ability he is superiorly durable!" The announcer let go of Luffy's cheek, which snapped back in place. Luffy gritted his teeth. Tears threatening to spill.

_No, don't cry! You can't cry!_ This can't be happening to him! It can't! The nobles started chattering amongst themselves before the first bid was revealed.

"150 million beli!" One shouted. Luffy's breathing hitched. No. He must have been imagining that.

"200 million beli!" Another shouted. There was paused from a few seconds.

Suddenly, a disgusting voice rang across the auction house. "500 million beli!" The crowd gasped and turned their heads to see one of the Saints grinning like a fool. The bottom of Luffy's lip trembled. _Someone. Someone help me! Gramps. Makino. Mayor. Shanks!_ To his horror, the announcer banged the wooden mallet against the gravel table.

"Time is up!" The announcer called. Luffy sniffled. _No, no, no, no, no. Wake up, Luffy! Hurry and wake up! _The Celestial Dragon looked disgusting. His face was plump and his lips were fat. There was snot hanging from his nostril and he wore a disgustingly smug grin.

"I did it." Was what had come out of the man's mouth.

"Well, thank you for your attention up until now! The prize this time, goes to World Noble, Saint Charloss!" And Luffy's world came to an abrupt stop.

* * *

><p>Luffy's eyes contorted into fear as he saw the Celestial Dragon take an iron brander from the rack and shove it into the hot coals. Luffy backed up against the wall, trembling. The guards kicked him so he was in front of the Celestial Dragon, back exposed. Luffy couldn't move. The terror was taking over his mind. His eyes widened as the iron brander left the hot coals and the Celestial Dragon grinned in sadistic pleasure. The brander was brought down upon his back. A soon as the molten iron touched his skin, Luffy let out an ear piercing scream.<p>

* * *

><p>Luffy couldn't open his eyes. He tried to, but he just had no energy. The sharp stinging in his back was too great. The smell of dried blood polluted the cell and the hot, sticky feeling all over his body wasn't helping either. He guessed that it was blood. Made sense. Luffy's eyes started to water. Why? Why was this happening to him? What did he do to deserve this? He was going to be a pirate! He was going to be Pirate King! He was going to be the freest... He was going to do so many things... His stomach rumbled and he just realized he hadn't eaten in a while. His lips were extremely dry too. He forced his eyelids to open and right in front of him was a small bowl of water and some stale bread. Come on! Move, you stupid body! His finger twitched and moved a millimeter closer to his target. After what seemed like an eternity, Luffy had finally grabbed the bread and brought it to his mouth. He took a small bite, not caring that it tasted like someone just packed some mud together and baked it. Bite by bite, a fraction of Luffy's strength came back. When he finished the bread, his arms felt good enough to push himself off the ground and into a sitting position. His hands shakily reached for the bowl of water and grabbed it. He brung it up to his mouth and drank a bit before setting it back down. He reached backwards for his straw hat, which was dangling around his neck. He shoved it down on his head and curled up into a ball. He wanted someone to save him. He wanted someone to comfort him or even just sit with him. Someone. Anyone. He let out a yawn. He was really tired. Maybe just a little nap... Just a little- Suddenly, he guards down the hall marched towards his cell and opened it.<p>

"Your work begins today, slave! Get up!"

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><p>Luffy held the broom in his hand, vigorously brushing all the dust away in the kitchen. The cooks in the kitchen had taught him how to make food and he accidentally made one of the stoves go up in smoke. The head chef was not happy and he had to stay behind and clean everything up. The guard became frustrated with his slow pace and kicked him in the back, ordering him to hurry up. The kick would have hurt if the tip of the guard's metal shoe wasn't pointed and if his back did still burning and sting like crazy. Luffy forced the bristles of the broom down on the floor to ease the pain and continued dusting until he was done. Saint Charloss walked in, staring down at Luffy with no real expression. Luffy stared right back, gritting his teeth together. The noble's foot came flying toward him, nailing him in the stomach. Luffy was sent towards the ground.<p>

"You have no right to look at me like that, you filthy slave." Saint Charloss growled, picking his nose. Luffy coughed a few times, a trail of spit running down his chin. He was no slave! He was a pirate! Pirates were free! No one could order them around. No even a Saint. Luffy turned his head up to glare at Saint Charloss again, glaring at him with intense hatred. Saint Charloss didn't tolerate it at all. "Guards! Take him away! Teach him a lesson!"

"Yes, Saint Charloss!" The two guards grabbed Luffy's by the arms and dragged him away, ignoring the kicking and threats from the smaller boy.

* * *

><p><em>Break him. His body, his mind, his spirit, his will. Make sure he never defies the gods again.<em>

* * *

><p>Luffy held a piece of scrap charcoal in his hand and made a tally mark on the wall. Today was his birthday. Luffy placed the piece of charcoal in the corner and sat in front of the wall, staring blankly. His stomach growled and he ignored it. When was he going to get food again? He wasn't sure. Luffy looked at his strawhats that was lying on the ground peacefully. He stared at it for a minute before smiling. <em>I was stupid, wasn't I?<em> He hadn't touched that hat in 10 months and 5 days. _Pirate King? What a joke. Life isn't that wonderful for some people, right Shanks?_ He wondered how Shanks was doing right now. Probably having fun and partying like they usually did. Luffy tored his eyes away from the hat regretfully. It's not like he had any future in a place like this. He completely lost sight of his dream. His will was shattered like glass, leaving cuts on the inside, letting him bleed out. Why did he still fight his master? He didn't know. He had no reason to disobey. _Why am I fighting?_ He looked at the shackles around his wrists. He grabbed to one on his right wrist and twisted it. The shackle teared at his raw skin, but Luffy didn't show any signs of emotion. He pulled on it, which didn't help either. His lead his wrist down to the ground and lightly tapped it against the ground. _Why am I still defying them?_ He tried to pull apart his wrists, but the chain bought them to an abrupt stop. He gritted his teeth and turned the bottom of his wrists up to look at the holes for the keys. _Why… Why am I still here?_ He balled up his fists and punched the ground hard, which skinned his knuckles. He unravelled his fists and stared down at his open palms. His eyes started to water and he felt the wet droplets beat against his hands. _No! Stop being a crybaby! No emotion! Stop!_ He pleaded his eyes to stop raining, but the tears kept coming. He pleaded his body to stop shaking, but to didn't listen. _Stop crying! Stop… please._ He bent over onto his knees, his head and elbows against the stone ground. His arms covered his eyes and his arms were drenched in seconds. Whimpers of pitifulness escaped his mouth and he sniffled. Still crying, he lift his head and looked over to his straw hat again. The hat that symbolized his dream, his promise. The hat that was once his treasure. His arm moved towards the hat shakily. He was about to touch it before his hand stopped. _I can't touch it again. I don't deserve it._ His fingers stiffened before he snatched the hat gruffly and hugged it against his chest. He crushed the hat with his arm, rolling onto his side. The feeling of the familiar straw didn't comfort him at all. It brought him more pain, and his sobbed harder. But, letting everything out in one moment felt just a bit… better. He heard shouts across the hall and wiped his eyes vigorously, sitting up. He stuffed his hat into the corner hastily and lied back down, facing away from the entrance of the cell. The shouts grew even louder and Luffy could understand them.

"Put me down, you bastard!" One shouted. Luffy's eyes widened. It sounded about his age.

"Let us go! We're not serving you, you rotten trash!" The other added. Luffy's breathing sharpened. So, Saint Charloss decided to get more children. What a sick bastard. He heard the cell door opened and the sound of two bodies hitting the ground echoed throughout the cells. The gate closed with the sound of clashing metal. "Hey! Get back here!"

"Let us out! Hey!" Luffy felt bad for the two, having to suffer like him. His finger twitched, but his stopped it. He was a loner. These two would soon learn that no one survives if they rely on each other.

Today was officially the most fucked up day in history, according to Ace. First, he and Sabo were pickpocketing people, and then some weird guys with cloaks showed up and kicked their asses, then they were both shipped to an auction house and sold to the most demented, ugliest, retarded people in the world. Great. This was just wonderful. Eventually, they stopped shouting because their voices were getting way too raw for this crap. Ace growled and punched the hard stone ground with his fist, pouring all his anger into it. It actually made a dent. Sabo, on the other had was gritting his teeth, pacing back and forth, obviously terrified.

Ace pinched his cheek. "Why this just be some sick, twisted dream that we can still wake up from? Why?" Sabo stopped pacing and saw a kid on the ground, with his finger twitching and decided to investigate. He kneeled down behind the body and shook the child's shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked. The child rolled over and looked up at his with tired and absolutely blank eyes. It disturbed Sabo with how lifeless and dull they were. It was as if this kid were blind. Maybe he was. No, that wasn't the case. The child looked at him with mild interest.

"So, you're new." He muttered. After a few seconds of the child staring at him. "Master sure has terrible taste." The child finally uttered.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ace growled, now sitting next to Sabo.

"I'm that it was bad luck that he chose two people that are close to each other." The child explained, his voice could be described at bored.

"May I ask why?" Sabo replied, cautiously.

The child gave Sabo a look as if he were stupid, which made Sabo slightly feel like he was actually stupid. "Isn't it obvious? You can't survive here if you're thinking of someone else's well being instead of yours." Ace and Sabo reflected on what the child had just told them. The child rolled back over, his back facing the two. "You two seem close, no? All the more reason to stay away from each other."

"You can't just expect us to do as you say!" Ace countered, not in the mood to take this kid's bullshit.

"I'm not expecting you to do as I say." The kid muttered. "Just advice for the future."

Sabo's eyes softened. "So, you were in the same situation as us?"

The child scoffed. "No. But, I know everything about this place."

"You must have had someone you cared about a lot, right?" Sabo pushed on. The child didn't answer. "Well, you don't have to say if it's personal…" Sabo added quickly. "My name is Sabo, by the way." He pointed towards Ace. "This is Ace. What's your name?"

The child stayed silent for a moment. Ace was about to speak before the child's voice cut him off. "Luffy." The child replied, rolling back over to face them.

"Nice to meet you, Luffy." Sabo tried his best to brighten up the situation with a smile, though he knew it wouldn't help. He felt Luffy's hand grip his shorts before his eyes widened and his quickly took it away.

"Sorry." He murmured. "Hearing someone say my name again made me think that you were him…" Sabo didn't answer. Ace growled and crossed his arms.

"I'm not going to stay here." He growled. "We're going to escape!"

"That is literally impossible." Luffy cut in, dispelling of the idea immediately. "If you attack the Celestial Dragon, they'll send the marines and an admiral after your ass."

"Well, we can't just sit here and stay their slaves!" Ace retorted.

Luffy smiled. "I can tell you have something you want to accomplish. What is it?"

"We're going to be pirates!" Ace exclaimed.

Luffy just kept his blank smile. "Give it up." Those simple three words made Sabo and Ace freeze.

"W-What did you say?" Ace growled. Sabo looked at his friend worryingly.

"I said to give it up." Luffy repeated. Ace grabbed Luffy by the collar of his shirt and held him up so they stared each other straight in the eye.

"What do you know about us!?" Ace shouted. "Our dreams are important to us! We're going to be free, damn it! How can you say that so calmly!?"

"How can you get so aggressive," Luffy started. "Over stupid things like dreams?" Ace's fists tightened around the shirt even more. "This world is sick. It's the reason why where are Celestial Dragons and slaves. Fate is a bitch. That is why we are here to serve some retarded World Noble. God isn't real. You can't pray that you'll hopefully get out of here some day. I already tried. Dreams are lies. They get your hopes up and then scatter you when you realize that you'll never be able to do what you want. Don't you think I'm right?" Ace didn't answer, he just dropped Luffy and turned his head away. Luffy dusted himself off and lied on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"You had a dream too, right?"

Luffy's head shot to his side to look at Sabo. "What?"

"The way you talk. I can tell." Sabo explained. "What was it?"

Luffy gritted his teeth and looked over to his straw hat in the corner of the cell. "I was going to be King of the Pirates." He whispered. Ace's mouth was slightly a gap and Sabo just stared. "It's a stupid dream, I know." His eyes softened fondly and his hand twitch, wanting to have his hat by his side just one more time. "I made a promise though, and I broke it-" His was cut off by Sabo shoving the hat down on his face. Luffy shot up, knocking the hat away. "I don't deserve it!" He shouted. "Don't give it back to me!" He pressed his lips into a thin line. Sabo was startled by Luffy's reaction. He knew that the kid didn't hate it, but he acted like it was the plague. "I gave up on my dream. This is my reality." He added. "Everything good that has happened in my life before this is like a dream to me." Ace and Sabo didn't say a thing. Luffy turned to look at them with watery eyes. "Hehe. I was foolish. Don't you agree?"

* * *

><p><strong>Woo! I finished! I promised you I would have this out soon, so here it is! The remake of Freedom! I would have upload this thing sooner if it weren't for my stupid internet. (It sucks!) Well, hope you liked it and I'll hopefully have another chapter out soon!<strong>

**BYE!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ace and Sabo didn't know what to do. How could their freedom be stripped from them so easily. Just by some mark on their backs. They knew one thing though. The pain was unbearable and they just wanted it to stop! They couldn't even move, just hanged from the guard's hands like some sort of ragdoll. They heard the cell door open and they were airborne for a second before crashing onto the stone, which sent another wave of agony through them. They would scream if their throats weren't raw already.

"Work starts tomorrow." The guard grumbled before loudly shutting the cell and locking it. Ace and Sabo didn't move. The burning on their backs felt like the iron brander was still there, pushing itself into their skin. Everything hurt. They just wanted to sleep. Make the pain all go away. Just drift off…

* * *

><p>Luffy sat in front of the two, hugging his legs close to his chest. His hands twitched and he slowly reached towards the two before his hands stopped and stiffened. They trembled uncontrollably. What was he doing? They were going to help themselves. He was a loner. These two weren't anything to him. <em>But, they'll die…<em> What was he thinking? He made it through just fine. These two were probably stronger than him anyway. _But, they're in pain… _They would get over it, right? Luffy looked at the bandages wrapped around his arms and felt the ones wrapped around his head. Against his mind, he untied the knot in the bandage and started unraveling them. The sticky bandages pulled on his skin and at the cuts that were underneath. When he finished unwrapping the bandage he started wrapping them around the bloody burn on Sabo's back. When he finished, he tied it together. He took off the bandages on his other arm and started wrapping Ace's back. The bandage didn't wrap the entire wound. Luffy reached for the bandage around his head and pulled it off, tying it to the other one and completing the wrapping. His newly opened cuts stung again. The wound on the side of his head didn't waste time to start bleeding again. The sticky liquid ran down the side of his face, and he didn't bother to wipe it away. He took his hands away from the two and looked down at them. _Why did I help them?_

_Because you don't actually want to be alone._

* * *

><p>"I told you to watch the fire." Luffy grumbled.<p>

"It's not my fault the thing suddenly exploded!" Ace argued, shark-teethed.

"The soup boiled over and the liquid spilled on the switch and seeped through the cracks and blew the stove up. If you were watching the fire then it won't have happened and we wouldn't be here cleaning up your mess." Luffy explained in an unwavering monotone. Ace gritted his teeth and 'tch'-ed. Sabo just sighed.

"Ace. Shut up and we can clean up faster." Sabo said, resoaking his towel in soap water and wiping the floor.

"Take your friends advice." Luffy suggested.

"You can't order me around when you're only 6!" Ace retorted.

"8." Luffy corrected, washing his towel out in the soap water and wiping his area of the kitchen. Ace stared at him.

"There is no way you're 8, kid." He finally replied.

"Malnourishment, no protein, fruits, vegetables, or dairy, and not even a pound of grain a week? Yeah, I think I'm 8." Luffy muttered. Ace bit the bottom of his lip. What a brat.

"Smartass." Ace grumbled. Luffy didn't react.

"Ace." Sabo spoke in a warning tone. "Show some more respect for someone who saved our lives."

Ace raised an eyebrow to him. "How?"

"You really don't think those Celestial jerks actually patched you up, do you?" Sabo replied. Luffy stiffened and Ace's eyes widened. "Besides, where do you think his bandages went? They wouldn't just disappear into thin air." Ace's head snapped around to looked towards Luffy, who's back was facing him. Luffy scrubbed the same spot on the floor the entire time. Ace's eyes hardened.

"He's right." Ace finally said. "Why did you help us? I thought you said that we can't worry about each other."

"It was out of pity." Luffy said loudly, hastily… Regretfully. Broken. He started coughing into his fist and clutching his chest with his other hand.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" Ace asked, reaching his hand out. Luffy's chest tightened and he instinctively whipped around and smacked the hand away.

"Don't touch me." Luffy snarled. Ace was shocked to say the least. "I told you to worry about yourselves, not each other. If you worry about me, you won't be able to protect yourselves." Luffy dropped the dirty rag into the tub of soap water and stood up. He walked over to the wall, grabbed a dust pan and a broom and started cleaning up all the ashes on the floor. "Being alone is better than death. No one can hurt you that way."

Ace and Sabo just got back to work, but Luffy's words rang in their minds. _Being alone is better than death…_

* * *

><p><em>You don't think that true.<em>

"_Shanks, what would you do if you were alone?"_

"_What's with the sudden question, Anchor?"_

"_I was just wondering, since you look so happy when you're with your crew."_

"_I don't know what I would do. They're my family… What would you do?"_

"_I don't know either! I hate being alone. Being alone is… worse than death!"_

_**You don't think that's true at all.**_

* * *

><p>Luffy rolled over and his eyes locked onto Ace and Sabo, sleeping next to each other without a care in the world. <em>Being alone…<em> Those words he said to them… Why was he thinking about them so much? He was alone, damn it! He wasn't like them. He was broken. Shattered. He had no hope. They did. They had will. They were the polar opposite of him.

He had already drowned.

Ace and Sabo didn't know what to think about Luffy. At first, Ace thought he was just an emotionless little smartass. He never interacted with them and acted like a machine. Sabo thought that he was constantly in pain. His eyes looked dead and his voice had no emotion. Ace and Sabo could both agree on something though. At first, it was like Luffy didn't care. But know, they didn't know what to think about him anymore. First he helps them with their wounds, then takes blame for over cooking the food, and now they had to sit there, helplessly listening to the choked screams echoing from down the hallways from a child who did nothing wrong.

"I don't get him at all!" Ace growled. He flinched when he heard another scream. "First he tells us to fend for ourselves, then goes ahead and patches us up, then takes the blame for burning that Celestial shit's food!"

"I don't get it either, Ace." Sabo replied. "But I might have an idea. We'll just have to see-" The sound of a metal door slamming open bounced off the stone walls. There was sounds of metal clanking down the halls and two guards appeared with Luffy in tow. The guard with Luffy unlocked the cell and threw him in. The other guard tossed a roll of bandages and a dirty rag in and placed a bowl of water on the ground. Ace quickly ran over to Luffy's side and kneeled down. Sabo grabbed the bandages and rag, joining Ace. The guard looked down at them and Ace bristled, baring his teeth like a wild dog. The guards paid no mind to this action and slammed the cell shut, locking it and stomping away. Ace snaked his arms under the boy's head and place him on his lap. Luffy winced in pain and grunt escaped his mouth. Sabo wet the rag in the bowl of water and started cleaning him up. There were cuts all over his body, along with the dark section around his left eye and on his left side. They were probably bruises, but they could tell because of how dark the cell was. Sabo pressed down on the dark part on his hip and Luffy groaned. Yep, probably a bruise. Luffy's eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ace asked. Luffy turned his head to look at Ace and blinked.

"I'm fine." Luffy muttered before shooting up into a sitting position. He winced and grabbed his bruises side.

"Woah, you shouldn't get up so fast. You're hurt." Sabo tried to gently push him back down, but Luffy moved away. Sabo blinked in confusion.

"Please don't touch me." Luffy replied coldly. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. It's nothing new…"

"Don't give me that crap!" Ace shouted. "You tell us to worry about ourselves and then protect us! What goes on in that head of yours?" Luffy bit the inside of his cheek. "Why are you helping us?"

"Because you're different from me!" Luffy finally spoke. "You two are still holding onto your dreams. I already gave up on mine. I'm already dead!" Ace and Sabo stared at Luffy because of his last statement. "I can't live like this anymore!" Luffy clutch his head with both hands and curled up into a ball. "Ever since you came, you've broken down every wall that I've ever built! I can't take it! Just leave me alone! I already told you that being alone was better than death!" Sabo moved closer to the child. This was the first time they could see exactly how _broken_ Luffy was inside. He pulled Luffy into a hug. "Just go away…" Luffy whispered, his breaths growing shaky.

"You're not dead." Sabo told him. "You're not alone. We're both here for you, okay?" He saw Ace reach for the straw hat in the corner of the cell and shoved it down on Luffy's head. Luffy moved his hands to try and pull it off, but Ace held it down.

"We're going to get out of here." Ace muttered. "And, don't you dare drop this hat until we do."

The only response they heard was Luffy silently sobbing, the hat shadowing his watery eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys! Hope you liked this (short, damn, only 1701 words...) chapter and hope you had a wonderful Christmas!<strong>

**Responses:**

**FindingThatDamnedOnePiece: Update!**

**zolydck: We'll see that soon, hopefully :3 It won't be pretty**

**LovelyMinx17: I enjoy ASL stories too! Glad you liked it!**

**Yvonne Park: Here's more! Hope you liked it!**

**msk 12 98: We'll see.**

**Aqua468: Heehee**

**Jessica Season: I'm really glad you like it so far! Hope this chapter was satisfying!**

**InsaneFoxLove: Here's a tissue. Hope you liked this chapter!**

**XxFire-PhoenixxX: Yeah, it's an ASL centric and then they have Whitebeard, then Luffy will go on to form his crew.**

**lany-chan: Here's a tissue! Hope you liked this chapter!**

**general yumi: Yeah, I feel that way too. This chapter is mostly in Ace and Sabo's perspective. Hope you liked it!**

**Shadow Of The Fallen Sage: Here's the update! Please don't hate me! *bows repeatedly***


	3. Chapter 3

Luffy didn't know what was going on, but his chest felt tighter than usual. Or maybe is was just his imagination, but he swore breathing has gotten a lot harder.

"Hey, Luffy! Are you okay?" Ace called over from his end of the hallway.

"I'm fine-!" Luffy called back before breaking into another coughing fit.

"You don't look fine!" Ace replied, scrubbing the floor.

"Hey, you two! Less chit chat and more cleaning!" The guards grumbled. Ace just 'tch'-ed. Sabo scrubbed the other end of the hallway until he met Luffy in the center, scrubbing the tiles next to him.

"Hey," Sabo whispered next to Luffy, too low for the guards to hear. "I can help clean some of your section so you can rest a bit. You don't looks so good."

"I'm fine." Luffy insisted. He didn't want to be a burden, now that they decided to help each other. This wasn't anything special anyway. Despite Luffy's words, Sabo and Ace still helped the younger boy clean up his section of the hallway.

* * *

><p>The guards tossed Ace, Sabo, and Luffy into their cell like they were sacks of potatoes and slammed the gate shut. Luffy pushed himself up and glared at the spot where the guards were. The guards payed no mind and marched away, the sound of clanking metal slowly fading into the distance. Ace and Sabo sighed.<p>

"I'm beat." Ace yawned, stretching out his limbs. "I don't know about you two, but I could use some sleep."

Sabo nodded. "Good idea." He turned to Luffy with a worried expression playing at his face. The child looked as if he had just sprinted an entire marathon. His face was a darker shade and his breaths became louder and more labored. "Luffy, you should rest too. You'll pass out if you stay awake much longer."

"Sure." Luffy breathed and lied down, shifting around slightly to try and get comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can get with a cold stone ground. Ace and Sabo crawled over to him and both lied down on opposite sides of the child, cuddling in with him. "Ace and Sabo are warm..." Luffy mumbled sleepily. The two older children looked at Luffy with surprised eyes before they heard his breathing soften and confirmed that he was asleep. Ace felt Luffy's forehead with his hands.

"He's burning up." Ace said, his gaze fixing on Sabo. Sabo reached for Luffy's hand and cupped it between his own hands.

"His hands are freezing though." Sabo added, rubbing Luffy's hand between his, tryin to warm it up. "I'm pretty sure he's sick." He said.

"Damn." Ace muttered. "He never tells us these things."

"He's Luffy."

"Point taken." Ace yawned before closing his eyes. "Good night."

"Night."

* * *

><p>"I don't wanna."<p>

Ace and Sabo shot Luffy a surprised glance. They've seen Luffy cover them up and take the beatings for them, but they have never seen Luffy outright defy the Celestial Dragons in their face. Sabo reached out and placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"Lu, what're you doing?" Sabo whispered into his ear. Just then, he felt something hot and sticky under his hand and he lifted it off to take a look. Sweat? Sabo looked at Luffy again and saw sweat covering Luffy's face, neck, and shoulder, drenching his t-shirt. Ace seemed to notice as well and turned his head to Sabo with a worried look.

"Say that again, slave." The Celestial Dragon growled.

"I don't wanna." Luffy muttered, a bit more harshly.

Stupid, stupid Luffy. His temperature was messing with his mind.

"Filthy slave! You can't defy me like that! Guards!" The guard's hands reach out to grab Luffy, but Ace grabbed Luffy by the wrist and pulled his closer, not caring about the sticky feeling afterwards.

"Don't touch him." Ace warned, pulling Luffy's head closer to his chest. The Celestial Dragon's teeth clenched and a vein started popping out to signify his annoyance.

"You don't get it!" Sabo shield Luffy and Ace with his arms. "Luffy's sick. He's not being himself. He needs medical attention."

Saint Charloss just snorted picking his nose. "I don't care. Any lowlife slaves who defies me shall be punished!" Ace's arms stiffened and tightened around Luffy. Luffy let out a small groan of discomfort. Ace's shirt was already drenched in the spot where Luffy's head was. The guards grabbed the trio by the wrists. They struggled, trying to pull their wrists out. Ace looked ready to attack with his foot before Sabo set him a hard glare. Ace turned his head to Luffy, who was digging his fingernails into Ace's shirt and lowered his foot. Luffy came first. If they attacked the guards, Luffy would also be in trouble. They stopped struggling and let the guards drag them away. Hopefully they could protect Luffy from what was coming next.

* * *

><p>The cell gate shut close and the guards marched away behind the Celestial Dragon, leaving the trio and a rag, some water, and some bandages in the cell. Sabo let out the air he had no idea he was holding and drew in deep breaths. He pushed himself up and looked over to Ace. "Hey, Ace. You okay?"<p>

Ace pushed himself up and nodded. "Fine." Sabo nodded and turned around to look at Luffy. Luffy's breathing wasn't deep anymore. It was shallow. Sabo placed a hand of Luffy's shoulder and shook him.

"Come on, Luffy. Wake up." Sabo spoke in a hush tone.

"Sabo…" Luffy turned his head to look at him. "It hurts…"

"Where?" Sabo asked. Luffy moved his hand and pointed at Sabo's stomach. "Stomach?" Luffy nodded. Sabo lifted his shirt and saw a huge dark spot the spread across his stomach.

"Is it bad?"Ace asked, looking at Sabo.

"I think it's a bruise." Sabo said, touching the dark spot and Luffy groaned, shifting away. "I think we should wrap it though, just to be safe." Sabo pressed a cold hand against Luffy's forehead. The child moved into the touch and sighed.

"Sabo's hand feels good."

Sabo smiled and ruffled Luffy's hair. He turned to Ace. "Sit him up while I wrap the bandages." Ace nodded and pulled Luffy up into a sitting position and let the child slump against his chest. Luffy's breathing seemed to become a lot easier after that. He snuggled his head into Ace's shoulder. Sabo started tightly wrapping the bruise which made Luffy stiffen. Ace noticed his hand started to ball up and held onto it. Luffy unravelled his hand and clasped it around Ace's in a crushing grip. Ace found himself surprised that he had _flinched_ at the pain in his hand.

"Hey, are you done?" Ace asked, keeping the slight pain out of his voice.

Sabo teared off the excess bandages and tied it up. "Yeah. I'm done now." Ace let out a sigh when Luffy let go of his hand and he shook it out. "Feeling okay, Luffy?" Sabo asked, looking around for any other wounds. Just some more whip slashes and that was it.

"Yeah." Luffy mumbled. "You guys need help too." He tried sitting up on his own, but Ace pulled him back.

"Oh, no you're not." Ace said. "And don't even try to argue. You're pretty much dead on your feet."

Luffy let out a huff and lean back into Ace. "Whatever. Just make sure to take care of your wounds-" Luffy breath hitched and his entire body was rattled with coughs.

"Hey, take it easy." Ace soothed, rubbing circles on Luffy's back. Luffy let out a few more small coughs before relaxing.

"I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Luffy muttered.

"Obviously." Sabo said, taking the bowl of water and pressing it against Luffy's mouth. "Drink."

"But I'm not thirsty-"

"Drink it." Sabo forced the bowl closer against Luffy's mouth. Luffy eyed the water doubtfully. "Look, you're supposed to drink lots of water when you're sick, okay? You're going to drink it even if I have to shove the entire bowl down your throat." Luffy hesitated before starting to take small gulps of water from the bowl and Sabo sighed. "See. Not that hard." Luffy took his head away. Sabo frowned. "Come on, a bit more?" Luffy shook his head.

"Tired. Wanna sleep." He rolled over onto his side and clutched Ace's shirt, snuggling in. Ace just sighed in defeat and let Luffy lie on him until he heard Luffy start to snore and gently placed him down on the floor. Sabo grabbed the rag on the ground and soaked it in water before twisting it and placing it on Luffy's forehead. Sabo turned to Ace and smirked mischieviously.

"He's cute, isn't he, Ace?"

Ace blinked at Sabo before his cheeks turned a darker shade. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing." Sabo looked away innocently and whistled. Ace started moving but no sound came out and his cheeks got even darker.

"What's wrong with your head!?" Ace was finally able to shout, his voice extremely flustered. "I don't think about him like that!" Sabo just bursted out laughing, pointing at Ace and clutching his stomach. The tears of laughter welled up in the corners of his eyes. "Shaddup!" Ace growled.

Sabo gasped for air and his giggles died down before he waved his hand like he was fanning the air and grinned like a lunatic. "Calm down! I was making a joke!"

"Sabo!"

"Be quiet..." Luffy's ragged and sleep strained voice sounded. "Stop shouting. My head hurts enough already..."

Ace patted Luffy on the head. "Yeah, go back to sleep." Luffy leaned into Ace's touch and relaxed before he fell asleep once more.

"Cuuuute~" Sabo whispered teasingly. Ace turned to Sabo and was about to sharply retort before he halted his voice and grumbled.

"Shouldn't we start treating ourselves?" Ace asked, changing to subject.

"Touché, dear brother." Sabo replied. He started looking around his arms and legs for injuries. "A few cuts and scrapes. The only major one is the knife wound I got to the shoulder."

"Same here." Ace added. "Except I got a knife to the leg."

"Better start wrapping them up." Sabo said grabbing the bandages and unraveling some.

"Is it just me," Ace muttered looking back down at Luffy, who now hugged his straw hat close to his chest, curled up into a ball. "Or does knowing that we got more wounds protecting him make them hurt less." It wasn't a question.

Sabo sighed and the corners of his lips upturned. "You're not the only one, Ace."

* * *

><p>Ace and Sabo were frantic. Luffy had just gotten worse the next day, complaining about stomach aches and a sore throat. He refused to drink any water to the point where Sabo and Ace had to force him to comply. He couldn't even sit up because of how much his stomach hurt. Saint Charloss had threatened to throw them into the ocean before his father came along and lectured Charloss about his patience and told him to "give the filthy slaves a few days to try and save their worthless little friend" which obviously earned a growl from Ace and a sneer from Sabo. Now, the Saints had given them a few days to fix Luffy up, which at first was a great relief before they realized that a few days might not be enough. A migraine had just kicked in and Luffy had screamed when it happened. They've never heard Luffy scream before, not even during the most brutal punishments. For just something as simple as a headache to earn such a loud scream terrified them to no ends. They had no idea what to do. They didn't have anything here. No bed, no medicine, no nothing. Sabo just pulled Luffy into a tight hug and murmured about how things were going to be just fine. Luffy let out another whimper and the two hands he had on his forehead pressed harder, trying to ease the pain. Sabo could only hold him tighter, not knowing what else might be best. Ace just tried to stay calm and sat beside Luffy, telling him that he would be okay and that it was just a headache. It would pass. After a while of whimpering and pleads and reassuring words, Luffy finally took his hands away from his head and opened his eyes. Ace and Sabo could feel the tired smiles of relief wash over their faces and they looked down at Luffy, who looked back.<p>

"Is it over?" Luffy asked cautiously, as if he had just walked out of hell.

"Yeah, you made it." Ace replies. Luffy sighed and his hands flopped down. "Feeling okay?"

Luffy blinked a few times before answering. "Yeah. My stomach still hurts though. I don't think I can keep anything down if I eat it." Luffy curled up in Sabo's arms and his arms overlapped his stomach, pressing down. Sabo grabbed the straw hat hanging around Luffy's neck and placed it on the child's head, hoping it would do it's magical thing and make everything better. Luffy let out a few choked coughs before sighing.

"Sorry." He spoke in a hush tone.

"For what?" Ace asked, a bit annoyed. "This isn't your damn fault! It's those damn Celestial Dragons' and how that think they're the most important."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts."

"But it's not really their fault." Luffy muttered. Ace and Sabo exchanged looks of confusion before turning to Luffy with the same looks. "This has happened to me a lot throughout my time as a slave..." Ace and Sabo stared at Luffy in disbelief and horror. This monstrosity has happened to Luffy multiple times? "There were some points where I actually thought I would die, and at some point, it might just kill me as we know it..." Luffy coughed weakly and Sabo rubbed circles on Luffy's back. "I didn't want to tell you guys because I didn't want you to worry about me." He tightened his fists. "I don't wanna die." That one, simple, generic statement was like a bullet to the brain for the two older boys. Luffy, the boy who had given up on life when they first met him, talked about him having no future, about his dreams being nothing, about already being dead, just said that he didn't want to die. This sickness wouldn't really take his life, right? This couldn't take his life. How can someone as tough as Luffy be killed by something like a sickness? It was impossible. But seeing Luffy right now, in the midst of sickness, telling them that he felt like he might actually die...

"I really don't wanna die, guys."

* * *

><p>Fuck Celestial Dragons, fuck earth, fuck life, because Ace felt absolutely helpless and he hates every second of it. Sabo rinsed out the rag in the bowl of water and twisted it before placing it on Luffy's head once more. Sabo sighed, sleep deprivation clogging his breath. The two had stayed up taking care of Luffy for god knows how long. Sabo's head dipped down before his eyes started fluttering shut and he flopped down, his back hitting the stone ground with a muted plop. Ace shook his head awake and quickly turned over to Sabo and shook his shoulder.<p>

"Oi, Sabo. You okay?" Ace asked, the lack of sleep also getting to his voice. It was hoarse, his throat was sore, it didn't feel good in the slightest.

Sabo opened his eyes and turned to his head to Ace. "I'm fine…" He spoke in a hush tone, his voice also hoarse. "Just sleepy as hell right now." He pushed himself back up and glanced towards Luffy. The kid was definitely suffering more than they were. Luffy groaned and rolled over, holding his stomach in his arms. Earlier, he had another migraine attack even worse than the one before and when it was over, he constantly whimpered for the two older ones to stay with him and his voice could barely reach a whisper. Ace sneezed and rubbed his eyes. Sabo sent him a worried glance.

"Feeling alright?" He asked. Ace nodded.

"Luffy's our main consern right now." Ace replied staring at the younger child, who coughed a few times and Ace rubbed his back.

"True," Sabo started, "But we can't take care of Luffy if you fall sick too."

"I'm fine, seriously." Ace insisted. Sabo wore a look of uncontentment with Ace's answer and reached out to place a hand on his forehead.

"Look who's talking." Sabo muttered. "Get some sleep, I'll watch Luffy for now."

"I don't need-"

"Now." Sabo's voice left no room for arguments and Ace sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but wake me up if he gets worse."

Sabo waved it off with his hand and nodded. Ace huffed and flopped down onto the stone, not caring about how uncomfortable it was. His eyes fluttered shut and sleep crashed over him like a tidel wave. Sabo sighed and looked towards Luffy again. Damn it all! What was he supposed to do? Luffy was suffering and they couldn't do a thing to help him! Luffy's eyes slowly opened and Sabo instantly perked up, stumbling on his knees as he crawled closer to Luffy's side. Luffy blinked a few times before he turned his head towards Sabo. Sabo felt a relieved smile take place on his face as Luffy opened his mouth to speak.

"Sabo..." Sabo then frowned at the weakness in the voice. "Where's Ace?" Luffy asked.

"He's sleeping right next to you." Sabo said, a bit amused when Luffy turned his head to see Ace sleeping like a child, curled up in a loose ball and his thumb close to his lip. Luffy sighed, with resulted in a few weak coughs. Sabo patted Luffy on the back and the coughs subsided.

"How are you feeling?" Sabo asked. Luffy's arms tightened around his stomach and Sabo frowned. "Still stomach?" Luffy nodded. The older boy mentally cursed. Luffy couldn't eat or drink anything because of stomach pains which just made his condition even worse.

"Can't breath..." Luffy choked out. Sabo gritted his teeth.

"It'll be ok in the end, Lu." He promised. "You'll be fine." Luffy took in a deep breath and shifted closer to Sabo.

"I don't wanna die." He whispered.

Something in Sabo just snapped and he felt a wave of panic wash over him. "You're not gonna die!" Sabo shouted fiercely. "You're gonna make it, just stay strong!" He then added a bit more gently, "You've made sit through this before, right? You can make it through this again." Luffy nodded weakly and snuggled his head closer to Sabo, which made the rag on his head fall off. Sabo sighed and placed the rag back on his head.

"It's too warm right now." Luffy complained.

"You're freezing cold, Lu. Your body is just tricking you into thinking that."

"Don't care. I still think it's warm." Luffy replied. Sabo reached for Luffy's hand and started rubbing it between his own, trying to make his body temperature more regular. Luffy's hands felt like ice cubes right now against his own. Luffy tried to pull his hand away, but failed due to his weakened state. "Sabo's hands are too warm. They don't feel good anymore." Sabo gritted his teeth even harder.

"Your hands are really cold right now, Lu. I'm trying to warm them up."

"But they're already warm..."

"No they're not."

"Sabo..."

"Yeah?"

"Can't breathe."

"Try taking deep breaths." Luffy tried to but only ended up coughing and wheezing. Sabo saw something dark dribble down Luffy's chin from the corner of his mouth and wiped it with his finger. He brought it up to his nose. Blood. Sabo wiped it away on his shirt and rubbed Luffy's back until the coughing subsided. Sabo snaked one arm under Luffy's back and another rested on Luffy's chest. He lifted Luffy's back into a sitting position to help his breathing. Luffy slumped in Sabo's army's and his head leaned against the older's chest. His breathing seemed to get a but better. He felt sticky sweat clinging to his arms but he didn't even care at this point.

"Sabo..." Luffy murmured. "Something in my mouth tastes weird. Tastes like blood..."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Sabo assured, doing a pretty good job of keeping the panic out of his voice.

"Okay..." Luffy breathed out. He shifted and closed his eyes. "Can't stay awake. Wanna sleep."

"Then sleep." Sabo watched as Luffy relax in his arms and fall into a peaceful sleep. He rubbed his eye if an arm full of sweat and he looked down a Luffy. The kid's clothes were drenched and there was a smudged line running from the corner of his mouth to his chin. Sabo didn't care if his clothes got drenched to, he didn't care about his sleep deprivation, he didn't care right now, because all he could do was listen to the helpless weight in his arms breathing becoming shallower and shallower.

* * *

><p>"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Ace cursed over and over again. He wanted to make sure the heavens could even hear it. If there was such thing as god then he must be some kind of messed up sadist freak because Luffy didn't deserve any of this. The child was fighting for air in Sabo's arms. Sweat drenched his body and now he was way to warm. The stone that he was lying on a few minutes ago, which should still be fridged cold was warmed up. The Celestial Dragons didn't even give a damn and just kept reminding them of how helpless they were in this situation. Luffy covered his mouth and coughed violently into his hand. Sabo rubbed the younger's back, not know how else to subside the coughing. Ace rinsed out the rag ing the old bowl of water that somehow still had some coolness in it and placed the wet rag on Luffy's forehead. Luffy brought his hand away from his mouth and Sabo gave the hand a weary look. More blood. Ace brought his hand up to his forehead to rub his temples, hoping to cure his growing headache.<p>

"Are you okay?" Sabo asked, worryingly. "We don't want you getting the same thing as Luffy."

Ace waved it off. "I'm fine. Might just be from lack of sleep." Sabo nodded a bit and turned to Luffy. "You should worry about yourself too." Ace spoke up. "You've been sleeping less than I have. You probably don't feel that great either."

"It's mostly the sleepiness that's talking." Sabo let out a tiny humorless laugh. "I've never felt this helpless in my life. I hate it."

"Yeah, me too." Ace muttered looking at Luffy and pushing the younger's loose bangs out of his face. Luffy shifted and let out a like grunt of discomfort before he tucked his head beside Sabo's chest, his bangs falling over his face again. Sticky breaths clung to Sabo's shirt and he lifted Luffy's back more up to help with breathing. Luffy gritted his teeth at the sudden movement. Sabo whispered an apology.

"Fuck this." Sabo muttered. Ace sent Sabo a shocked look. That's one new thing Sabo has said since they've been here. "We can't do anything but sit around and wait for some miracle to happen! Before, we could always use brute strength to get out of sticky situations! Now, we're just sitting around, not able to do anything but just watch! This isn't fair!" Ace looked down at the ground and gritted his teeth. He knew Sabo was right. If there was some chance of a miracle, it was disguising itself damn well, and Ace didn't appreciate that, neither did Sabo. In their own pent up frustration, they didn't even notice Luffy's hand move until Sabo felt Luffy's warm hand press itself over his mouth.

"Shut up." Luffy mumbled bluntly. "Not your fault." It was one of the few sentences Luffy was able to complete without coughing or just breaking off in the middle. His hand fell away from Sabo's mouths and flopped onto his stomach. "Miracle, right?"

"Yes, Luffy." Sabo assured, reluctantly. "We'll find a miracle."

* * *

><p>"Shanks once taught me a song..." Luffy started. Sabo and Ace looked down at him, interested. The child never really talked about Shanks before. "He said you sing it to lift people's spirits up-" He broke off and started coughing. Sabo rubbed the younger's back. "He sung it in the bar this one time with the rest of the crew..." Luffy then turned to look at the two older ones. "Maybe we can sing it..."<p>

"Why not?" Sabo answered. Ace nodded, smiling. "What does it sound like?"

"It's called Binks' Sake." Luffy spoke before opening his mouth again. "Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~..." Ace and Sabo looked at each other before their minds clicked.

"We've heard this before from somewhere!" They exclaimed in usion. Luffy flinch at the level of their voice and they silently gestured an apology.

"But where did we hear it?" Ace wondered, his chin resting on his hand.

"I think I heard it from one of the merchants docking in High Town when I was trying to find money." Sabo suggested.

"I don't know where I heard it though." Ace muttered, a bit disappointed.

Luffy stuck his tongue out at Ace tiredly. "Too bad." Ace scowled playfully at the child. "Going to deliver Binks' Sake~ Following the sea breeze, riding on the waves~..." Sabo and Ace smiled softly. How could such a weak voice effect them so much? They started joining in. They wanted the entire hall and slaves in the other cells to hear them.

"Far across the salty depths, the merry evening sun~! The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky~!" They heard a few whispered outside in the halls and heard another voice join in.

"Farewell to the harbor, to my old hometown~! Lets all sing out with a DON, as the ship sets sail~!" The man's voice was broken, and sore, but it still sounded good. "_Come on, we still got some spirit left!"_

"Waves of gold and silver dissolve into salty spray, as we set sail to the ends of the sea~! Going to deliver Binks' Sake~! We are pirates sailing through the sea~! The waves are our pillow, the ship is our roost, flying the proud skull on our flags and our sails~!" After a moment, a few more weak voices were heard and they grew stronger as they sung. _"They're coming for us. I just know it. We need to stay strong until then." _Luffy's voice because more hoarse, and shattered as they went on. They probably didn't even know that it was his voice that started it all. Sabo grabbed the straw hat hanging around the younger's neck and plopped it on his head, covering his eyes. Luffy wrapped his palms around the rim of his straw hat and pulled it down.

"Now comes a storm through the far-off sky~! Now the waves are dancing, beat upon the drums~! If you lose your nerve this breath could be your last, but if you just hold on, the morning sun will rise~!"

A few more new voices joined, singing with pride. "Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~!"

Ace and Sabo looked down at Luffy and grinned when they saw Luffy smiling. Smiling a real smile, for the first time since they've been here. Ace and Sabo kept singing as Luffy's eyes blinked a few times before slowly shutting and his whole body went limp in Sabo's arms. Sabo placed Luffy's head on his lap and ran his hands through the child's hair. Ace glanced at Luffy and smiled, singing more softly, so Luffy could have a restful sleep. After a while of repeated singing, the two brothers also felt the sleep getting to them and they tilted sideways, leaning against each other's shoulders and closing their eyes, the sounded of the singing drowning in their ears.

* * *

><p><em>In a hopeless, tiny, sick smelling cell rose a tiny, broken voice. The voice they caused others to follow. A voice that brought hope back to them. The voices full of pride echoed through the halls, only to be heard by the slaves behind bars. They repeatedly sung for what seemed like forever. Just for that one, tiny moment, they found hope again. It was all started by the most broken of them all. Just a small boy. Just a small voice…<em>

* * *

><p>Ace blinked the haziness out of his eyes and rubbed them a bit before sitting up more straight. He felt a weight sliding down his shoulder and he quickly caught it, sighing. It was just Sabo, dozing off into dream land. He gently set the other boy onto the ground and yawned, stretching out. He looked over towards Luffy, who was lying down on Sabo's lap. His eyes widened. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Quickly breaths emitted from the younger's mouth. Sweat. The liquid dripped from his forehead and neck, covering his body. His hands were planted against his chest as if he were struggling for air. Luffy's breath was caught in his throat and he started having a cough attack. Ace rushed to his side and wrapped his arms around the younger boy's chest, pulling him up into a sitting position. Luffy's cough attack subsided and he turned his head and grounded it to Ace's chest, his hands gripping Ace's shirt. His whole body was tense and Luffy's breath sounded pained.<p>

"Hey, Luffy. You're going to be okay, got it?" He said in a soft voice. Luffy lost his grip on Ace's shirt and his arm felt to his side. His body shifted towards Ace and he panted immensely. Ace placed a hand on Luffy's chest. "Just breath in and out. Deep breaths, okay? In and out. That's it. Take it easy." Luffy's breath started to slow a bit and he turned his head to look up at Ace. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ace made a shushing sound with his mouth. "Save your energy. You're doing find." Luffy slightly nodded and tried breathing a bit deeper. Ace relaxed as the boy's breathing started to regulate.

"Ace..." Luffy whispered. "Hurts..."

"Where, Luffy?"

"I don't know... Everywhere." Luffy curled his legs up and turned his body towards Ace, his arms wrapped around himself.

"It's okay, Lu. You're gonna be okay." Ace pulled Luffy closer to him. "Miracle, right?"

"Yeah. Miracle." Luffy answered. "I don't wanna die in a place like this." Violent coughs racked his body and he pulled his hand over his mouth. Something dark seeped through the child's fingers. Ace froze when the smell of iron reached his nose. He grabbed Luffy hand away from his mouth and stared at it. Before, Luffy would just cough up a bit. Why was there more now? Blood dripped from Luffy's hand and silently hit the floor. The dark liquid rolled out from the child's mouth and down to his chin. His hand took a hold of Luffy's bloody one and squeezed it tight. He looked down at Luffy with his eyes shadowed by his bangs and his teeth clenched. He felt his eyes start to sting and his throat tighten.

"We're going to find a miracle. Just you wait."

* * *

><p><strong>YO! I'm back with this new chapter! I long one this time, because the one before was so short. Hope you liked it!<strong>

**I just had to add Binks' Sake. It was such a fitting song!**

**In Freedom, Luffy had a weaker immune system and I wanted to keep that thing with him. Living as a slave for a little over a year doesn't just fuck up your mind.**

**Those slave voices talking during the song, what do you think they mean? HMMM!? If you read Freedom, you probably already know XD.**

**I'm thinking about just PMing the people who review and have an account and answering the people who don't on the chapter. Make it a lot easier.**

**Reviews: **

Guest: It is here!

Guest: Here's more!

Noip13: Yeah, I just realised I don't have that much comic relief in this story. I might wanna tone it down XD

Weird-Sunny-Chan: Thank you! Here's the new chapter!


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